Extra! Extra! Be All About It!

August 31, 2018

If teenagers or “young” people say you are “extra” these days, they mean you are over the top dramatic or excessively emotional, however, Jesus tells us that the wise always have a little extra with them. The story of the ten bridesmaids and the oil in their lamps gives us an idea of how we should foster our individual relationship with Christ. A relationship with God requires patience and sometimes a lot of waiting doesn’t it? Raise your hand if waiting patiently is NOT your forte. In our times of waiting on the Lord, it is important for us to store extra resources so that when we encounter Him, we can simply be fully present, fully engaged, and fully receptive. The waiting game goes both ways, as God is constantly waiting for us to notice Him, to come to Him, or to speak to Him. 

Oil represents the Holy Spirit and so our call today is to fill up on the Spirit through prayer, scripture, and service to one another, praise, thanksgiving, and radical love. This extra oil in our lamps will give us the wisdom to recognize our bridegroom when He comes and to have enough light to follow Him wherever He goes, and then it says, we get to party! We get to go to the feast. We are His “Plus 1”!!! 

Having “extra” requires thoughtfulness, discernment, patience, trust, and faith. These things are also required in relationships. Jesus wants us to be in a healthy relationship with Him and He tells us how…have extra. My prayer group and I call it “being prayed up”. Being prayed up means that when life hits you smack in the face as it does when we least expect it (like in the gospel, the bridegroom came at midnight!), you are ready to face the challenge with grace because you have extra. Now I know that we can’t get fixated on measuring grace or good deeds or “earning” God’s love, that is not my point, however, stocking up on the fruits of the Spirit through quality time and relationship with Jesus, give us the extra knowledge that we need to be wise in matters of the soul. Does that make sense?  

Today, I will take a look at my lamp to make sure I have extra oil for the surprise, but not so surprise visit from my Beloved. I only want to be super ready to jump up and follow Him. If that makes me “extra” then so be it, and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 1 COR 1:17-25

Brothers and sisters:
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written:

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.

Where is the wise one?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?
For since in the wisdom of God
the world did not come to know God through wisdom,
it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation
to save those who have faith.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Responsorial Psalm PS 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11

R. (5) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Alleluia LK 21:36

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times and pray,
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 
Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. 
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 
The foolish ones said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.' 
But the wise ones replied,
'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.' 
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. 
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' 
But he said in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' 
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour."